Echoes
by bananacosmicgirl
Summary: “The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors.” Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in. HPSS, Mpreg. Complete.
1. Chapter one: Sandra Mirari

**Title:** Echoes

**Author:** Cosmic

**Email:** bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com

**Disclaimers:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Rating:** PG-13 for one swearword and a bit of snogging

**Pairing:** HP/SS

**Summary:** "The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors." Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in.

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

~~~~~

_Echoes_

~~~~~

Chapter one: Sandra Mirari

~~~~~

The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors.

Up until a year ago, students would have turned around in surprise at the sound, but by now, everyone was used to it. They knew who was crying and they also knew that the child would stop crying soon, as soon as her father picked her up. Instead they continued walking down the hallways, chattering happily between themselves. No one even bothered to look up when Potions Master Severus Snape strode down the hallways with a baby in his arms.

~~~~~

Minerva McGonagall 

Looking back, I can remember when he showed the first signs of being pregnant. He didn't know back then, at least I don't believe he did. None of us on the staff would ever have been able to guess – after all, he is a male. We do live in a magical world, but the ways to conceive are, usually, the same the Muggles do it.

It was right after Voldemort's defeat. 

I should start by saying this: None of us, neither on the staff nor of the students, ever believed that Severus was ever a happy person. When Voldemort had been defeated, we didn't think he would suddenly start smiling at students, nor did we think that he would stop favouring the Slytherins (which I am most aware that he does). But we didn't think that it would get _worse_.

Oh, how wrong we were.

Looking back at it, I think that it was obvious that it was the mood swings that accompany any pregnancy. At the time, though, I was barely even aware that there was such a thing as male pregnancy. 

The memory that stands out the most is, as I said in the beginning, when the idea of pregnancy first hit me. 

We were having a staff meeting – or at least that was what we were supposed to be doing. Of course the Albus, being the person that he is, refused to start the meeting until all of the staff was present. And for the first time since Severus began teaching at Hogwarts, he was late. 

When he finally did stride into the room, his robes billowing as they always do behind him, he looked pale and rather sickly. No one would ever try to mother Severus, but at that instant, I wanted to. Of course, he made us all forget that particular idea very quickly.

"What are you all staring at?" he snapped, his glare boring into our skulls. 

"Sit down, Severus," said the Headmaster, his tone calm but cheerful. I'm not sure if it's possible, but that twinkle in his eyes was even stronger when he eyed the Potions Professor.

Severus' glare landed on me. I only raised an eyebrow in response. I was long since used to the way he acted and thought that the others should be used to it as well. Some of them were – Hooch had never been afraid of Severus – but others – the newcomer of the year, Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Daray Ganit, for example – shrank back, shaking like a leaf and looking like a student rather than a fellow Professor. 

Severus continued to stare at us until we all turned to the Headmaster instead. I cannot recall what we were speaking about; I've been to too many meetings in my career at Hogwarts. 

I do remember, however, that I glanced over at Severus every now and then. He looked – odd. An urge to ask if something was wrong came over me, but I wisely fought it back. If I had asked, I would only have gotten a biting remark back, interrupting the meeting in the process. Perhaps the latter wouldn't have been so bad, as it was about to get interrupted anyway, but still.

Severus suddenly shot up from his chair, his face ghostly white – he was pale to begin with, but now he looked like death – and mumbled, "Excuse me," after which he ran out of the room in the direction of the bathroom. 

The meeting was cancelled and the Headmaster told us all that we were through for the evening. We all knew the way he spoke meant that we should not ask about what was going on. Either we would find out when the time was right, or we would not.

~~~~~

"Hush." 

No one who knew the Potions Professor would have thought it possible for him to speak so softly. But in the safety of his chambers, Severus could speak in whatever tone pleased him. If he wanted to get his daughter to quiet down, he would have to be gentle; he'd learned as much after nine plus months with her.

She did stop crying and very quickly at that. She was never one for never-ending screaming sessions, at least not as long as her father was there with her. 

_One of her fathers, at least, the Potions Master thought grimly. _

The baby fell asleep in his arms, exhausted from a day spent in the classroom with him. He couldn't very well leave her alone in the dungeons during the day. Sometimes he would leave her with Madame Pomfrey, the school's nurse, and other times Minerva or Hooch would take her, but usually, she just got to come with her father to class. She was normally a quiet child and if she fussed, he would let the class read or get them started on whatever potion they were working on. She didn't fuss very often – she'd learnt that her father didn't like it.

Sandra Mirari Snape.

His daughter.

How had it come to be this way? He didn't know – well, all right, he did know _how_ it had happened, but then there were those other questions. Why? And yet again, how? Why had the result of one night been this little miracle before him?

He put her down in her crib. Sandra found her thumb and began sucking greedily.

~~~~~

Hermione Granger 

I remember when I first found out that Snape was pregnant. I had seen the signs for weeks – months, even, I guess – but I didn't really want to see it, just like the rest of the school seemed, and seems, to be blind to the obvious. 

He'd gained weight. I guess that should have been the very first signal that something weird was going on. Still, with Voldemort's defeat still pretty close in our minds, we didn't pay much attention. Perhaps he'd been eating better lately, 'cause he didn't get fat – he only "filled out" a bit more. Less sallow skin, more colour… more health, I guess. 

He always wears robes; big, billowing robes. Those robes are as much trademarked Snape as his Glare is. Robes are very good at hiding anything and everything you want hidden, whether it be your wand or your body re-forming. The latter was, obviously, what happened to Snape, but none of the students could see it. I'm guessing he also used some sort of spell – perhaps a Notice-Me-Not spell on his stomach, or a hiding spell? I'll have to go look it up… It would be interesting to –

Anyway. None of us noticed.

I know that there were strange rumours going around school at the time, saying that the Professor was sick. He would suddenly turn very pale during class and excuse them all early – something he never did unless it was a class with only Slytherins. 

I didn't believe any of the rumours. I had no reason to do so. Well, at least not until _that_ class…

It was the middle of April, a nice and sunny day everywhere but in the dungeons. Snape was teaching us a potion that would, if done correctly, turn your hair red and give you freckles. 

"No need to give it to Weasley," Draco Malfoy sniggered as he heard what the potion was supposed to do. Harry and Ron both glared at him. I put a calming hand on Ron's and then I turned my attention back to the Professor. 

He was walking around the classroom as we started on the potions, reminding us in his usual biting style not to forget to add the Ivoideroot before the Bayardhairs. I was paired with Neville Longbottom, whilst Harry and Ron worked together.  

"Potter!" I heard Snape say in that unpleasant tone of voice that he adapted whenever he was around the Boy Who Defeated Voldemort. "Do you think you are going to be able to walk through life without even the most basic knowledge of potions, just because you are famous?"

I saw Harry grit his teeth, but answer, "No, sir."

"Then _why_ are you adding the Braith without making it a powder first?" 

"I –" Harry began, but then wisely stopped.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Potter, and see to it that the rest is correct or you'll lose another fifty," Snape snarled at him before continuing his stride down the aisle.

If it were at all possible, Snape had been acting even more horribly towards Harry since Voldemort's defeat. He couldn't so much as look at Harry without some nasty remark.

I had lost myself in thought for a brief minute; something one should never do when paired with Neville. I only heard Snape's cry of, "No, don't add that –" before the explosion had happened. Green and red flames shot up three or four feet in the air from the cauldron Neville and I had been working on, before the cauldron shattered. Pieces of clay shot through the air and all I could do was to pull Snape – who was standing right next to me at the time – down with me as I dove for cover on the floor. 

We landed with an, "Oof!"

The room was filled with green smoke when I picked myself off the ground. The Professor lay still, not moving at all. For a moment, I was afraid the man was dead. Then I heard him moan.

I turned to my shocked classmates – although why they were still shocked after all the times similar accidents had happened in, I couldn't understand. 

"Is he – is he okay?" Neville asked. He was covered with green and red soot. 

"I think so," I replied, "But go up to the Hospital Wing and tell Madame Pomfrey anyway."

Neville nodded and fled. I turned to the rest of the class and told them that they could go. Malfoy glared at me, but then he shrugged and left as well, his two big thugs close behind him. I found out later that he already knew what I was about to find out. He told me that if he'd stayed, it would have looked suspicious to the others. Besides, Crabbe and Goyle didn't know, and still don't, as far as I know.

Ron and Harry were still there though, just like I expected them to be. On the ground, Snape was waking up, but he still didn't seem completely coherent. He kept running his hand over his stomach and mumbling to himself. I remember wondering if he'd hit his head and gotten a concussion. 

I bent down next to him. "Professor?" I asked.

He didn't seem to hear me, only mumbled, "It's not moving… it's not there… I can't feel it… It's not moving…" It was barely more than a whisper and I only heard it because I was so close to him. Harry and Ron stood like question marks above me. 

"What's up with him?" Ron asked but I barely heard him.

Suddenly, all the pieces of the puzzle came together and I realized what was wrong with my Potions Professor. All the things fit together perfectly well, except of course the how, but that was the least of my worries at the moment. 

Snape was telling me that he couldn't feel the baby anymore. 

"He's probably hit his head a bit," I told Ron. I don't know why I lied to him that first time, but I did. There was something about the whole situation that told me that Snape didn't want anyone to know that he was pregnant. I wasn't about to be the one who made the whole school – and inevitably the whole Wizarding world – aware of the fact.  

"Should we do something?" Harry asked me. There was a note of worry to his voice.

"I sent Neville to the Hospital Wing to get Madame Pomfrey," I replied to him. "She should be here any –" there was a pop and the nurse stepped out of the fire "– minute."

Madame Pomfrey conjured up a stretcher and placed the semi-conscious teacher on it. "I told him this would happen," she muttered under her breath. "But did he listen? No. He just had to continue…"

She was just about to leave the same way she came when she turned to me. "Ms Granger, please come up to the Hospital Wing as soon as you can." She looked over at my two best friends. "Alone."

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," I answered obediently. 

Ten minutes later, I was in the Infirmary. I would have been there sooner, if Harry and Ron hadn't insisted on coming. They wanted to tell Madame Pomfrey that I wasn't the one responsible for the accident. I told them that I would be fine. I expected that Madame Pomfrey didn't ask me to come because she thought I was responsible.

I was right.

Headmaster Dumbledore was in the Infirmary as well. He called me in to one of the smaller, private rooms. Madame Pomfrey was still tending to Professor Snape.

"Ms Granger, please sit down," Dumbledore said to me. 

I did.

"I expect you know now," the Headmaster continued. I always wondered how it was possible for him to sound so serious and yet so happy, at the same time. 

"If you are talking about Professor Snape being pregnant, then yes, I came to that conclusion in the classroom," I said, hoping that my assumption was correct. If it weren't, the Headmaster would certainly get a good laugh at my expense.

The Headmaster didn't laugh. He only nodded slowly at me.

"I trust you to keep this secret safe?" 

I nodded, knowing now that lying to Ron and Harry had been the right thing to do. "Yes, sir," I said.

"Good," replied Dumbledore. "You may return to class now."

"Professor?" I asked. "May I ask – is the baby all right?"

The Headmaster smiled and his eyes twinkled in that Dumbledore-ish way. "The baby is fine," he replied. I smiled and made my way out of the Hospital Wing.

Just outside the room where they kept Snape, I stopped briefly, curiosity getting the better of me. The door was open, but Madame Pomfrey was standing with her back against me and Snape seemed to be sleeping. The spells to keep anyone from seeing Snape's pregnant belly had been taken off and I saw the quite impressive swelling. 

He looks about to burst, I thought, before I continued out.

~~~~~

To be continued…

~~~~~

If you enjoyed it, hated it, or thought something else about it, please hit the review button or email me at bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com


	2. Chapter two: Realization

**'sTitle:** Echoes

**Author:** Cosmic

**Email:** bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com

**Disclaimers:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Rating:** PG-13 for one swearword and a bit of snogging

**Pairing:** HP/SS

**Summary:** "The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors." Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in.

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Author's notes: **I'm glad everyone seems to have liked the story so far! I didn't expect such a wonderful amount of feedback. Thank you-s to all those who reviewed! Oh, and yes – this story will be updated at the same time as Time out of Place, which means every Thursday. There will be six chapters all in all. 

~~~~~

Echoes

~~~~~

Chapter two: Realization

~~~~~

The next morning, Sandra Mirari Snape sat on her father's lap at breakfast, trying her best to feed herself. So far, she seemed to have succeeded in getting food everywhere but in her mouth. Severus left her at it – he would feed her for real as soon as he was done with his own breakfast.

When the students of Hogwarts had first been introduced to the baby, their reactions had varied. Many of them had ooh-ed and aah-ed over Sandra, while just as many had been annoyed with her screaming. Those who muttered about the baby's screaming received a glare from Severus. It was usually enough to get them to be quiet. 

He'd heard rumours about where they thought the baby had come from and how come she was in his care. Everything from a stolen baby, to a descendant of Voldemort that Snape had been entrusted to care for. Every idea was more outrageous than the other. 

And none of them were right.

If they only knew the truth…

The public explanation about who she was was that Sandra was Severus' daughter and her mother didn't want anything to do with the child, so she was in Severus' custody.

"Dada," said Sandra and held out the spoon for her father to taste, waking him from his reverie.

"No thank you, love," Severus replied and took a napkin and began wiping her face. She protested loudly and tried to move away from the offending piece of cloth.

When she was clean, he gave her a bottle of milk. She accepted happily. 

Sandra was an easy baby. She was almost always happy and unlike her father, she'd gained the affection of most of the school. Even those who'd been complaining about her screams in the beginning had taken her to their hearts. Ronald Weasley was one of the students who'd surprised him the most. Sandra had begun crying in class once when she was only a few weeks old, at the end of the school year. Severus wasn't used to dealing with her yet and he couldn't get her to stop crying, no matter what he did. Finally, the youngest of the Weasley brothers had asked if he could try.

Severus, who'd been at the end of the line at the time, his head aching from the screaming and his body tired from too little sleep, had told him, "You may do whatever you want with her, Weasley."

Weasley had come over and taken the crying child from his arms and started stroking her back gently, up and down, while talking softly to her. Soon, the wailing had become small hiccups and before long, Sandra was asleep.

Weasley had put her down in her crib and hurried back to his seat. Severus found himself staring, first at his sleeping daughter, then at Weasley and back again. After class, he'd forced himself to ask just what the Weasley had done to the baby. The redhead had explained the simple procedure of rubbing Sandra's back. Severus had to admit a grudging respect for the younger man.

~~~~~

Draco Malfoy 

Severus Snape has been a friend of our family since before I was born. He went to school with my father. They did everything together – cheated on tests, made fun of teachers, pulled pranks on other students and became Death Eaters together. That's about how far their real relationship goes, 'cause after that, Sev's story is quite different from my father's.

While my father worked his way up the ranks among the Death Eaters until he was one of Voldemort's most trusted followers, Sev' became a spy for the side of light. I didn't know that of course and neither did my father or Voldemort. If either of them had known, Sev' wouldn't have been alive today.

As it is, he is very much alive – and with a daughter at that.

When I first came to Hogwarts, he was my favourite teacher for many reasons. He was our long-time friend – he was the closest to an Uncle I've ever had –, he was the head of my house, and he didn't like Harry Bloody Potter. Now, things have changed. A lot. Perhaps you'd expect that my feelings towards the man who's one of the reasons my father is in Azkaban would have changed as well, but they haven't. He's still that Uncle I never had. He's Uncle Sev', although I would probably never dare to call him that to his face.

Sandra is adorable; I just have to say that. She inherited Snape's black hair, but her skin looks much healthier than his does. He always had that vampire-look going. Too much time in the dungeons, I think. He needs to get out more. 

After my parents were both sentenced to Azkaban for the rest of their lives, I was a bit distressed. Suddenly I was Mr Malfoy, the one who was supposed to take care of, well, everything. I wasn't ready, by far. The Wizarding world was also quite suspicious of me, the son of two trusted Death Eaters (yes, my mother was a Death Eater as well). Just to set the record straight: I was never a Death Eater. I never got the chance (the Dark Lord didn't initiate anyone that hadn't graduated from school yet), but even if I'd had the chance, I wouldn't have done it. I was not about to kiss the ground where that freak stood. I'm a Malfoy; a Malfoy answers to no one but himself.

Still, I was distressed.

One late evening I went down to Sev's rooms to talk. He's always been a good listener, despite what you may think. At least he listens to _me_. 

I knocked on the door to his rooms and he told me to come in. 

He was sitting by the fire in his favourite reading chair, with a cup of tea next to him and a book on his lap. He was still dressed in his robes, despite the late hour.

"Good evening, Draco," he said and motioned for me to sit down.

"Good evening, sir," I said. I had always been a bit unsure of what I was supposed to call him. He would, like I mentioned before, kill me if I called him 'Uncle Sev' to his face. At the same time, 'Professor Snape' seemed too official for someone I'd known since I was born, but I didn't dare to call him 'Sev' or 'Severus' while we were in school. That's what I called him at home, when we were at the Malfoy Manor.

"Was there something you needed to discuss, Draco?" he asked.

"I was just –" I began, but then broke off, staring at Sev'. Or, rather, staring at Sev's midsection. His robes covered him fairly well and it was only because I knew how slim Sev' usually was, that I noticed the difference. The swelling.

Sev' followed my eyes and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh," he said. "Well, I guess it's time for you to know."

He didn't sound angry; his voice was void of any feeling except perhaps fatigue.

"Are you pregnant?" 

The question hung in the air and for a moment I wondered why I'd asked. I stared at him. He sighed.

"Yes, Draco, I am," he said. 

"But – how? When? _Who_?" I asked as my brain processed the information. 

"I'm six months along," Sev' replied. His lips quirked into something that could have been taken as a smile. "I'm not going to answer the other questions and you know it."

I stared at him, mouth slightly open and probably looking really stupid, but for once not caring about my appearance. "Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied, his tone calm. "I'll find out in three months."

The smile widened slightly and realization dawned on me. "You're happy!" I said, ecstatic. 

Sev' had looked into the fire, but his gaze turned to me when I exclaimed the words. "Yes," he said. 

Then I did something that I hadn't done since I was five years old. I leaned forward and hugged him. "Congratulations," I said and I was really, honestly happy for him.

~~~~~

Severus set his daughter in the small play area that had been set up in his classroom. It was filled with stuffed animals in all different shapes and colours. Those could entertain her for hours.

The class filed into the room, one by one. It was Double Potions for the Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh years. 

That of course meant that Harry was in the class.

"Sit down," he said as soon as the bell had rung to signal the start of class. His tone was gentler now than it had been before Sandra was born. Not because he felt sorry for the students, but because Sandra had become afraid of him when he growled and yelled at the class.

He handed out a test to the class. Some paled as they saw it. Others, like Hermione Granger, took the test and began scribbling away. After seven years at Hogwarts, the young woman still thirsted for knowledge as much as she'd done when she first arrived.

Harry on the other hand, took the test and bit his lip before starting to write. Ron Weasley just glared at the offending piece of parchment, as though the questions would just answer themselves if he stared at it long enough – or perhaps he hoped that it would disappear.

For fifteen minutes, the only sounds in the room were the frenetic quills on parchment and Sandra's happy squeals and mumbling. 

"Turn them in," Severus said when the time was up. 

The students all walked up to his desk and placed the papers in a neat stack. Just at the same time, Sandra, who'd decided that she should try and stand up with the help of the fence around the playpen, fell backwards, hit her head and began crying. 

Harry Potter, standing the closest to the baby when she fell, picked her up slightly awkwardly but still securely in his arms. 

"Shh, don't cry sweetie," he said, rocking her. 

Harry hadn't been one of the students that had swarmed around Sandra. Ever since he'd first been introduced to her, he'd kept himself distanced from her, almost as if he were afraid to touch her. Now that Harry finally did have her in his arms, Severus couldn't help but think that they looked absolutely beautiful together. Both with the black hair and rosy skin. Sandra's eyes were darker than Harry's – lucky for Severus, because otherwise it would have been obvious who her other father was. 

As it was, Severus saw Granger gasp, out of the corner of his eyes. Realization dawned on her and she looked over at him. Severus met her eyes, hoping that the girl would keep quiet about this as she had about Severus' pregnancy to begin with.

~~~~~

Sirius Black 

Professor Dumbledore told Remus and I both when Snape was in the last stages of his pregnancy. We lived – we still do for that matter – in Hogsmeade. After Voldemort was defeated and Wormtail captured, I was a free man, allowed to do what I wanted. I decided that what I wanted to do was stay close to Harry. Remy decided that what he wanted was to stay close to me.

When Dumbledore called us in, I thought it was more of a social call than anything else. Nothing prepared me for the story he was about to tell me. 

_Snape was _pregnant.__

And not only that – my godson was the other father. 

If Remus hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have done. As it was, he and Dumbledore continued to explain that I couldn't go off killing Snape, nor could I go up to Harry's room and scream at him. The reason for the latter was simple – Harry didn't know.

That almost made me go off on another rampage, this one directed towards the Headmaster himself.

"He doesn't _know_?" I screamed at him. "How can he not know?!"

"Because we put a memory charm on him," said Dumbledore. "Or rather, Severus did."

"Why?!" I exclaimed.

"Because it's what's best for Harry," the Headmaster said. "Or at least that's what Severus thinks."

Sinking down into my chair, I asked, "When did this all happen?"

"September," Dumbledore said. "Just weeks before Voldemort was defeated."

I continued to ask questions; I wouldn't believe that my godson had gone to that… that… that _snake_. Not by his own free will. 

Finally, they were able to convince me that it should stay a secret. Inside I knew, though, that secrets are always bound to pop up when you least expect them to. 

~~~~~

To be continued…

~~~~~

If you enjoyed it, hated it, or thought something else about it, please hit the review button or email me at bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com


	3. Chapter three: Secrets

**Title:** Echoes

**Author:** Cosmic

**Email:** bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com

**Disclaimers:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Rating:** PG-13 for one swearword and a bit of snogging

**Pairing:** HP/SS

**Summary:** "The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors." Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in.

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Author's notes: **Glad you're all continuing to enjoy the story. I will try not to get too mushy gushy...   
I'm sorry if I haven't replied to your reviews -- real life is busy, busy, busy. Graduation is coming up in three weeks and the teachers are making our lives miserable because of that. ::sigh:: I will try to reply to everyone next week!   
Hm, about the story... Well, not much to say. Everyone seems to understand the concept of the POVs and the third-person things, so that doesn't need explaining.

~~~~~

Echoes

~~~~~

Chapter three: Secrets

~~~~~

"How the _hell_ can you keep this from him?" Hermione yelled at him.

"Language, Ms Granger, or there will be points taken off," said Severus, although he didn't really mean it. She could blackmail him into doing whatever she wanted at the moment, so getting her even angrier with him would do no good.

Sandra began screaming in his arms. 

"And please," Severus added, "Keep it down. She doesn't like loud voices."

Hermione glared at him, but decided that it was true. She reached out and touched the baby's cheek. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

She turned her gaze up to Severus again. "You _need to tell him."_

Unconsciously, Severus' grip on his daughter tightened. "How can I? And what good will it do?"

"She's his daughter," Hermione said, her voice now soft. "That's what good it will do."

Fighting with himself to not break down – especially not in front of _this_ particular student – Severus said in a small voice that didn't sound like his own, "He'll hate me."

If Hermione was surprised by his admission of weakness, she didn't show it. "He won't. You know he won't. In fact, he'll lo–"

"Don't say it, Ms Granger," Severus said, regaining his self-control. 

She watched him for a few moments, before she finally said, "All right. But you know it's true."

Then she turned on her heel and left the room, the sound of her footsteps echoing through the corridor. 

Severus looked down at his daughter, who met his gaze evenly. "You have created some problems, love," he said to her. He sighed, "None of it is really your fault, though. Your father – one of them anyway – just seems to be unable to do anything right. Maybe I should tell him."

Sandra looked at him and smiled. "Daa," she agreed.

~~~~~

Ronald Weasley 

I was out with Harry under the Invisibility Cloak one night, when we heard someone come suddenly. It was some time 'round Christmas, I know 'cause the castle was decorated with red everywhere. I don't remember the exact reason Harry and I were out, but I think it had something to do with our inability to sleep. Harry had been having trouble sleeping for months; he kept having these vivid dreams that he wouldn't tell me about and they'd wake him up. Sometimes, they woke me up too, like this night, and we went out for a walk.

When we heard that someone coming, we pressed ourselves to the wall and tried our best to stop breathing. 

Of course, with our luck, it would have to be either Filch or Snape coming. 

It was the latter.

He was breathing sort of heavily, which I thought odd. I looked over at Harry at the same time, but he seemed to be off in la-la-land, staring at Snape all of a sudden. 

Snape walked right past where we were standing. When he'd come about ten feet away from us, he suddenly ran to the wall and grabbed it for support. Then he promptly emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor.

Gross.

  
Really, really gross.

He cleaned it up with a spell and continued walking. As soon as he was gone and the footsteps had died off, I turned to Harry.

"Did you see that?" I asked him, pulling a face.

Harry didn't reply. He looked sort of odd, as though he was confused as to where he was.

"Harry?" I asked. 

He shook his head. "Sorry. I must be tired," he said. "Maybe we should head back up."  
  


"Yeah," I said slowly. "Maybe we should."

The next morning when we woke up, Harry barely even remembered that we'd been out walking. Or at least that's what he said.

~~~~~

Three days later, Hermione's words still hung over Severus' head like a dark cloud. His mood had become worse again, something his daughter definitely noticed. She fussed more than usual. Especially at night, the results of which were Severus getting barely any sleep and thus his annoyance and anger increased even more. It was a bad circle and it would have gotten even worse, if Hermione hadn't come to the rescue.

She was quite nervous as she walked down the hallways towards the Professors quarters. But then she heard the familiar cries of the last three days and she was sure that this was the right thing to do. 

Still, her hand shook a bit as she raised it and knocked on the door.

The door flew open and her Potions Master, his hair on end – even more so than usual –, dark shadows beneath his eyes and a raging baby in his arms, stood in the doorway.

"What do you want, Granger?" he snapped at her, trying to soothe his daughter but only serving to make her more upset by speaking in a less than friendly manner.

"Um, I was wondering…" Hermione said, her eyes wide as she watched Snape get angrier and angrier with Sandra.

"Well spit it out!" Snape barked at her. 

"I was wondering if I could baby-sit Sandra for the afternoon." There, she'd said it. Now it was up to her Professor.

His eyes became slits as he watched her, although the screaming and fighting baby in his arms diminished the effect of the glare. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked suspiciously.

Hermione put her hands on her hips and met the glare squarely. "Because a) she can spend some time with Harry if I take her for the afternoon, b) she needs to get out some and c) you need a break."

He continued to glare at her. "Why would you care if –?"

"Professor, with all do respect," Hermione said with a sigh. "It's not you I care about the most. I want Harry to be with his daughter for a little. Still, you need to have some time alone without Sandra right now. It's the truth, sir."

He stared at her. "Fine," he said finally and held the screaming baby out. "Take her."

Hermione took Sandra in her arms and held her close. "Shh, sweetie," she mumbled, hugging her close, "Don't cry."

She'd never taken care of a baby by herself before, being an only child and having had mostly grown-ups as company when she grew up. Still, Sandra felt natural in her arms, despite the fact that she was still squirming, fighting and crying.

Snape, who'd left for a brief moment, returned with a bag of necessities. He explained Sandra's routines briefly.

"Can I give her back tomorrow morning?" Hermione asked, feeling like she was asking about some book rather than a living human being.

"If she's okay with staying away for that long, then yes, that is all right," Snape replied. He sounded tired.

"Good," Hermione said. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Good bye, Professor."

"Good bye, Ms Granger."

Hermione smiled to herself as she made her way up the stairs, Sandra squirming and crying still in her arms and the bag slung over her shoulders. Now Harry was going to have to spend some time with his daughter – she'd make sure of it.

~~~~~

Minerva McGonagall 

When he neared the end of his pregnancy, us on the staff had to bite our tongues to keep quiet about it. The students were _not to know. Even on the staff, we were only a select few that did know. The Headmaster knew what a mistake it would be to trust Rubeus Hagrid with the information, for example. The man has a heart of gold, but he couldn't keep a secret to save his life. There was also Trelawney, our dear Divinations teacher, who would have blabbered about it as soon as she got the chance._

Poppy Pomfrey knew, of course. She was the one who had to do the check-ups. We couldn't trust anyone outside of school to keep quiet about it, so she would also be the one to deliver the baby. Professor Sprout knew as well, because she needed to grow special herbs for when the baby was to be born. Flitwick knew, as he was the one who helped Severus with the Concealment Charms. If the students had seen the huge midsection he'd developed by his eighth month, there would have been no question about what was 'wrong' with their Potions Professor.

I knew and of course the Headmaster knew. I think Albus knew before Severus did. I remember when we were eating dinner one evening and Severus was just picking his food, moving it around on the plate. This was some time in November, when the rumours about Severus being sick had just begun flying around school at an uncanny speed. Albus looked up at Severus and said,

"You need to eat, Severus."

I can't recall any time that he's ever told Severus that he needed to eat. It was just not something to be done, not even by the Headmaster. 

Severus raised an eyebrow at him. "Since when are you my mother?" he asked bitingly.

No one except Severus ever speaks to Albus like that. I have never really understood their relationship, but it seems a bit like a father and son's. Except I think that Albus was always more forgiving towards Severus than Severus' own father was.

"Oh," said the Headmaster, "I am most certainly not. I leave the mothering activities to… others."

His eyes twinkled and he smiled at Severus. I blinked, because I knew there was some hidden meaning beneath those words, only to anyone but Albus himself, it was incomprehensible. I went back to my dinner as Severus stood and strode out of the Great Hall.

~~~~~

Hermione strode into the Gryffindor common room. During their walk through the castle, Sandra had begun calming down. A few tears still trickled down her cheeks and her chest heaved after the exhausting feat of crying for hours on end.

"Hi sweetheart," Hermione cooed to the baby. "Better now?"

Sandra looked up at her, her eyes huge. Hermione looked back and smiled. The baby watched and then smiled back tentatively. 

"You know who you're going to play with today?" Hermione asked.

"Dada," said Sandra.

"Actually, that's right," Hermione smiled. "You're going to play with your daddy."

The common room was mostly empty. It was three in the afternoon and several classes had already finished, but most people were outside, enjoying the cool February weather. A few first- and second years were sitting around, doing homework. Harry and Ron sat on the floor with a chessboard between them. As always, Harry was losing.

Harry looked up and saw her. His eyes widened as he recognized the child in her arms. Ron turned around and looked at her, surprised. Both rose to their feet and walked over to her.

"Did you kidnap her?" Ron asked. 

If she hadn't been holding Sandra in her arms, Hermione would have hit him over the head.

"No," she said with a glare, "I asked if I could baby-sit her tonight. Professor Snape seemed to need a break."

Ron stared at her. "Since when do you care if he needs a break?" 

"Since now," Hermione bit back. Sandra followed the conversation with interest, but her lower lip began quivering as the tones became unfriendly. Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks and she began crying loudly. 

"Shh, Sandra, don't cry," whispered Hermione to the child. "Don't cry…"

"Can I – can I hold her?" Harry asked suddenly. He looked a bit confused as to why he would ask such a question, but then he shrugged to himself.

Hermione looked up, smiling inwardly. "Okay," she said and handed the crying baby over to Harry. 

The baby clung to Harry's robes as she continued to whimper. Harry held her, looking just as awkward now as he had done in class three days earlier. Sandra didn't seem to notice though; she buried her head in the fabric of his clothes. Harry patted her back gently and murmured quiet, calming words.

Ron stared at him and Hermione cheered inside as Harry went over to one of couches and sat down, eyes only for Sandra. The young girl soon calmed and fell asleep in Harry's arms.

~~~~~

To be continued…

~~~~~

If you enjoyed it, hated it, or thought something else about it, please hit the review button or email me at bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com


	4. Chapter four: Watching

**Title:** Echoes

**Author:** Cosmic

**Email:** bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com

**Disclaimers:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Rating:** PG-13 for one swearword and a bit of snogging

**Pairing:** HP/SS

**Summary:** "The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors." Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in.

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Author's notes: **Several people have said that "mpregs normally put me off", but that this story is an exception -- I'm so happy to hear that :) Hopefully you'll continue to enjoy it... Here's the fourth chapter; I hope you like it and please review! :)

~~~~~

Echoes

~~~~~

Chapter four: Watching

~~~~~

Poppy Pomfrey 

Severus was already five months along when he first came to me. By then, his morning sickness had begun to lessen – and his stomach had begun to grow. He had also just begun feeling the baby kick, something that scared him although he would never admit it. 

Professor Dumbledore had told me earlier that day about the whole thing. 

"I need to tell you something Poppy," he said to me.

"All right," I replied and just continued stashing away vials of Anti-Flu Potions that Severus had finished for me.

"Severus is pregnant."

I turned around to face him. "It wasn't yesterday that a man became pregnant," I said slowly. "Who's the other father?"

But Albus refused to tell me who the other responsible party was. He also forbade me from performing a spell on Severus to find out.

Later that afternoon, Albus forced Severus to come see me. 

"Poppy," he acknowledged me as he entered the Infirmary.

"Severus," I replied in the same cool tone of voice. His chilly exterior had never scared me and it wasn't about to start now.

"I heard the Headmaster told you," Severus said. "He never could keep his mouth shut."

I asked him to lie down on the examination table and he did without complaining, surprising me. 

"Albus tells me you're about five months pregnant," I said, pulling his robes apart and out of the way. I couldn't keep the gasp in when I saw his swelling belly. Up until then, it had been a story, but with seeing his growing midsection, it was suddenly for real.

"I'm going to perform a few spells to see that everything is like it should be," I said. I thought I heard him mutter something like, 'Nothing is like it should be – I'm pregnant!' or something of the likes, but I ignored him. Instead I performed four spells of different kinds to make sure that both the baby and the father were all right.

The examination took about fifteen minutes, I believe, before I let him sit up and put his robes back on.

"The baby is completely healthy," I told him. "You on the other hand could be doing better. Are you eating correctly?"

"That's none of your business," he muttered.

"It is for another four months, Severus," I said, hands on my hips and trying my best to look stern. "If you don't eat and live healthily, it could hurt the baby."

He looked up at me, his eyes lacking any feeling as he stared at me. Then he gave the smallest of sighs and said, "Very well. What do I have to do?"

"Well, for starters, definitely no more alcohol."

He glared at me. I knew his preference for taking a glass of something or other at night, while reading a good book. 

"Fine," he growled. It seemed that he was quite open to changes to keep his unborn child healthy. It surprised me. "What else?"

"You need to eat more," I said. "I want you to eat breakfast, fruit during classes, lunch, something smaller during the afternoon, dinner and something small at night. And coffee does _not count as breakfast."_

He glared at me, coal black eyes trying unsuccessfully to make me back down. I wouldn't.

"Also, I don't want you to be up all night making potions or reading. Your body will be more tired, especially as you get further in your pregnancy, and it will need rest. I'm sure you've already noticed that you need more sleep than before."

He nodded slowly, as though he didn't really want to admit this. 

"Finally, I want you to come back here every two weeks for check-ups. If anything, _anything_ unusual happens or something feels wrong, come up here _immediately. Got it?"_

"Yes,_ Poppy_," he said bitingly. "Am I allowed to leave now?"

I nodded. He performed a quick spell on himself to conceal the growing bulge before he strode out of the Hospital Wing. I watched him go, worry, amusement and amazement fighting for dominance within me.

~~~~~

Sandra's nap was fairly short; she slept for less than an hour. Harry had her in his arms the whole time, gazing almost lovingly down at the bundle. When she woke up, Hermione suggested that they go outside and play for a little while. The suggestion was met with happy gurgling from Sandra. 

Hermione picked out the thick jacket, shoes, hat and gloves out of the bag that Severus had given her. All the clothes were green and silver, she noticed with an amused smile. Snape obviously wanted his daughter to be a Slytherin. 

"You look adorable!" Hermione cooed at the baby when she was dressed. 

Harry picked her up again and he, Ron, Hermione and Sandra made their way downstairs and outside. 

The sun had already begun sinking; in another forty-five minutes it would be gone completely. But for now, Harry and Ron placed a blanket on the ground while Hermione took a few toys out of the bag for the child. Then all three played with her on the ground. Ron was the most used to being around children, both because he had so many siblings and because his older brother Bill and his wife had two children, one two-year-old and one that was just a few months.

Sandra gurgled happily, playing with a stuffed, blue teddy bear. "Gaga," she proclaimed and pointed at the animal.

Harry lay on his side and watched the child. But even as his eyes followed her every movement, he seemed to be a million miles away. Hermione watched him curiously and the question of what Severus had done to him to make him so completely unaware that Sandra was his daughter as well grew stronger. She looked over at Ron briefly, but he didn't seem to notice Harry's strange behaviour. 

When the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, Harry sat up and shook his head. When he stood, Sandra stretched out her arms at him, asking to be picked up. He did. As the four walked back to the castle, he held the girl closely to his chest, an almost sad look on his face.

~~~~~

Sirius Black 

After Albus told us, I convinced him that we should be allowed to go visit Snape. I wanted to hear the reason why my godson was kept in the dark from the git himself. After pondering the idea for a few seconds, Dumbledore smiled at us. 

"I guess it couldn't hurt," he said.

Five minutes later, we were down by the dungeons. Classes were out for the day and since Snape, according to Albus, rarely ate dinner in the Great Hall these days, he would no doubt be in his quarters. 

"Calm down," Remy told me. "You are not here to kill him. You're here to talk to him."

I glared at him. "How can you be so calm?"

"Because I'm sure that there is a reason for all of this happening," he replied, his voice managing to hold both softness and sternness in it. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

We heard shuffling and the door opened to reveal a sour-looking Snape. Not that he ever looks any different, mind you. He's a git through and through and I have no clue what Harry could ever see in him. 

"Lupin, Black," he said, his face expressionless. "To what do I own this honour?"

I wanted so badly to put my hands around his neck and strangle him. 

"Hello, Severus. May we come in?" 

I will never understand how Remy can manage to keep so cool all the time. Perhaps he lets all his steam out during the full moon… 

Severus eyed us suspiciously, especially me. I glared back. Finally, he opened the door fully to allow us to enter. Without waiting for us to remove our cloaks, he strode into his living room.

Or, rather, he waddled.

I almost bent over double laughing. _Snape was __waddling! I couldn't keep the oh-so-unmanly giggles back. Remy shot me a look, but I couldn't help it. I just laughed. _

Snape turned around, his cheeks going red and his eyes becoming slits as he realized what I was laughing at. Then he turned again and sat down on one of the chairs, trying to keep whatever of his dignity he had left.

I was still sniggering as Remy and I sat down on the other chairs. Snape glared at us and didn't utter a word. My eyes moved down from Snape's face to his midsection, where his very pregnant belly could be seen beneath layers of robes. 

"Dumbledore told us," Remy finally said, realizing that he would have to be the one to break the silence.

"I gathered as much," Snape said flatly. "Was the sole purpose of coming here to give Black a good laugh?"

I stopped sniggering. "Actually," I said, my voice hard, "We're here because the Headmaster also told us that my godson is the father of that baby."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"So it's true?" Remy asked. "Harry is the other father?"

Snape sighed tiredly, looking at the Werewolf. "Yes, he is. But he doesn't know and he is not going to know."

"Why not?" I couldn't help myself; I had to ask.

"Because, Black," Snape snapped, "If he knows, he is going to feel that he has to care for this baby and perhaps even marry me. He is a Gryffindor, what do you think?! The Wizarding world won't be happy to find out that he's with me, an ex-Death Eater of all people. He deserves better."

"Since when do you care about what Harry deserves?" I asked angrily. "All I've ever heard from him about you is how much you hate him."

"I'm not going to go into detail about what happened!" Snape said, his voice low and threatening. "In fact, I'm not going to tell you anything at all. You are both going to keep quiet about it, because Harry deserves to have a life, a life with someone who –"

He broke off abruptly. I don't know why, perhaps he realized that he'd said too much. Snape was always a very private person; I'll have to admit to that. In those few sentences, he had bared more of himself than he had ever intended to, especially to two people whom he hated.

He stared resolutely into the flames of the fireplace.

The silence dragged out. Remy and I exchanged looks, but we didn't know what to say. Finally, Remy said, "I think we'll go now."

Taking one last look at Snape who was still ignoring us, we left his quarters.

~~~~~

Harry sat with Sandra on her lap at dinner, trying his best to feed her. He'd watched Snape do it many times – it was a source for great amusement at the Gryffindor table. Snape usually wound up with food in his hair, face and clothes. 

"Sandra, no," Harry told her sternly as she tried to eat the mashed potatoes before her with her hands.

She looked up at him, big eyes looking very innocent. 

"Behave," Harry said. 

Sandra giggled and turned back to the food, continuing to feed herself. Finally, Harry tired of it and he took a napkin. He quickly dried off the baby's hands – she protested loudly – and held her arms down by her side so that he could feed her. 

Dinner would take a long time tonight.

From the other side of the table, Hermione watched with interest. She couldn't believe how blind she'd been – how blind her classmates still were. Sandra looked so much like Harry it was scary. The girl inherited most of her features from Harry rather than from Snape. The small nose, the big eyes, a little round mouth and rose-colored skin. The hair was a combination of both parents, she mused, as was the eye colour. 

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil had both come to sit next to Harry when he entered the Great Hall with the baby in his arms.

"She is so adorable!" they cooed as usual. Nine months with the baby hadn't made her any less popular. 

"Why are you baby-sitting her?" Parvati asked.

"Actually, Hermione is the one who's really baby-sitting," Harry said, continuing his efforts to feed Sandra. "I just took over for a while."

'For a while.' Hermione snorted inwardly at this. Harry had taken care of Sandra since five minutes after Hermione walked into the common room with her. She had barely been allowed to touch the child.

She didn't mind though. This was exactly what she had planned.

She glanced up at the High Table where Snape sat. He felt her eyes on him and looked over at her. His eyes were unreadable, she thought, but she gave him a small smile. Then Snape continued doing what he'd been doing up until now – he watched Harry interact with their daughter.

~~~~~

To be continued…

~~~~~

If you enjoyed it, hated it, or thought something else about it, please hit the review button or email me at bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com


	5. Chapter five: Something missing

**Title:** Echoes

**Author:** Cosmic

**Email:** bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com

**Disclaimers:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Rating:** PG-13 for one swearword and a bit of snogging

**Pairing:** HP/SS

**Summary:** "The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors." Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in.

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Author's notes:** Um… I said this would be six chapters long, but it will actually be seven… Hope you don't mind… Other than that, I would just like to say a big huge thank you to everyone who's been reviewing; you are all most wonderful! Enjoy the fifth chapter of Echoes…

~~~~~

Echoes

~~~~~

Chapter five: Something missing

~~~~~

Ronald Weasley 

I knew 'Mione was hiding something from Harry and me. It had something to do with Snape, I knew that much. Every time she'd look at him, she'd get this slightly concerned look on her face. She didn't know that I noticed, but I did.

For a while I thought that she might have developed some sort of sick crush on the greasy git. When I cornered her and asked her, she got a good laugh. Still, she wouldn't tell me.

I figured that the only other way to find out what was going on was to watch Snape just as intently as 'Mione was. I found a few odd things.

First and foremost, I remembered the rumours about Snape being sick. Those had been circulating around school for a while, but lately they'd died down. Either Snape was well again, or it had just been a rumour to begin with. To justify 'Mione's acting, I decided that it was the former, though.

I also noticed a bit of a weight-gain. Not much, I guess, but since I was watching him so closely, I saw it. He seemed to have… filled out. Since he was getting heavier, I began checking what he was eating. Thing was, I'd never cared to notice anything about his eating habits before, so I couldn't really tell if they'd changed. But he seemed to eat _a lot. _

Perhaps he'd been cursed with some unknown illness. When you live in the Wizarding world, anything is possible, after all. 

Still, it didn't seem quite right, because he seemed fine most of the time. Well, as fine as that git can ever be, anyway. Fine is really not a word to associate with anything Snape.

Then finally, in early May, I found out what Snape – and 'Mione – had been keeping a secret. Suddenly, all those extra kilos just fell off him and he was gone from classes for a two days. 

A week later, Sandra appeared and everything fell into place. After all, as I said before – we do live in the Wizarding world.

~~~~~

That night, Hermione told Harry that Sandra could sleep in the boys' dorm if the others didn't mind. 

"As long as it's just one night and I get to cast a silencing spell on her if she's too loud, it's fine," Seamus said. 

Neville seemed almost scared of the baby. She was related to Snape after all, the teacher Neville feared more than anything else. He just nodded his consent. Dean shrugged. "It's fine with me," he said.

Ron got to be the one who changed Sandra's diapers. He laughed at the looks on the other boys' faces – the colours raging from green to white and purple. 

"I think I'm going to be sick," Neville mumbled and disappeared.

Harry held Sandra down gently as she squirmed to be free. She didn't want a diaper at all. When Ron was done with her, Harry picked her up and put her pyjamas on. To his surprise, the pyjamas were a deep red colour, rather than the usual green and silver. 

The other boys, including Ron, walked downstairs as Harry went about with the task of putting Sandra to sleep. 

The light weight of the child in his arms felt natural by now. She was a rather small child, delicate-looking and precious. Her skin was like porcelain and soft like silk. Her jet-black hair was soft under his touch. 

Like Sev's hair… 

The thought came unbidden into his mind and his eyes snapped open. Where had it come from? 

Sandra seemed to notice his startle, because she lifted her tired head from his shoulder to look at him curiously.

"It's nothing, sweetie," Harry lied to her.

Why does it feel like I'm missing something here? Why does she feel so safe in my arms? 

Sandra looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before deciding that she was too tired to care. She lay back down, head on his shoulder. Harry continued to stroke her back gently.

When the baby had fallen asleep, Harry put her in the crib Hermione had transfigured and left the room. His mind was filled with questions though, as he made his way downstairs to join his friends again. It felt like he was missing something; something important.

~~~~~

Draco Malfoy 

I have to admit a grudging respect for Hermione Granger. She found out two months after I did and she didn't tell the school about it. The Daily Prophet would have paid her quite a lot of money for a story like this, I bet. Still, she didn't say a word, not even to Potter or the Weasel.

Towards the end of Sev's pregnancy, she and I were asked to work together to keep his secret safe. The work included directing the attention to something else than Sev's repeated visits to the bathroom during class (and outside of class, of course) as well as helping Madame Pomfrey keep an eye on Sev'. He was never a very good patient, whether it be after a bout with the Cruciatus Curse courtesy of Voldemort, or to keep the baby inside of him healthy. 

Despite the latter, he was very careful to follow Pomfrey's orders on what he was allowed to eat and do. He loved Sandra before she was born. After he had come to terms with his raging hormones, he became more… at peace, I suppose is a good word. Not that any of the Gryffindorks, except Granger, would notice, but there it was. Sev' is not someone that anyone could call a happy person. Yet in the late stages of his pregnancy, as well as in the nine months since she was born, he has been in a better mood than he was before it all happened.

I still wonder who the other father is.

In May, it was lucky that Granger and I were there in class with him.

Sev' was prowling around in the classroom as usual, casting biting remarks at the Gryffindors. I sniggered from my seat. Sev' can be downright hilarious in his comments about Longbottom's stupidity. We were reviewing today; the potions we were making were three simple ones that everyone but Longbottom could do in their sleep. I was already finished with my potions, so Gregory Goyle – my partner for the day – and I were just sitting around, watching the others.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sev' grimace suddenly. I looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed. 

Since Sev' looked fine for the next half hour or so, I didn't ponder it. But then, I heard him gasp slightly again. I looked over at him and was shocked to find frightened eyes looking back at me. 

Granger caught my gaze next and we managed to communicate without words. There was still another hour left of class; we had to see to it that it came to an end without drawing attention to Sev'. An accident would have to happen to get the class dismissed. Granger understood and I could see her searching her brain for something to add to the potion before her to make a smaller explosion. Finally, she smiled slightly and took a hair from her own head. Swiftly, she let it fall into the cauldron. I applauded her inwardly for her actions.

Sev' stood by his desk, which meant that he was almost as far away as he could be from the cauldron when it began wheezing and bubbling. It turned an odd shade of blue and then there was a small explosion. Granger got some of the liquid on her, but other than that, everyone was fine.

I caught Sev's gaze again and he understood what Granger had done and why.

"Who did that?" he bellowed, playing along in our charade.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Granger said, her voice sounding pathetically weak. I know she hates doing things wrong, even if they were planned to be wrong.

Sev' turned to the class. "Class dismissed!" he yelled at us and turned to Granger, glaring at her. "You'll have to come with me to the Infirmary."

She nodded meekly. Ron and Harry moved past her. She mumbled something to them, probably to get them to leave and not worry about her. I said the same thing to Vincent and Gregory. They took off without a question.

Now Granger, Sev' and I were left in the room. 

"Let's get you to the Hospital Wing," I said. "'Cause my assumption is correct, isn't it? You are in labour?"

The frightened look in Sev's eyes returned as he looked at me. "I believe so."

~~~~~

The night had gone well. Sandra slept through the night, although she woke up at five thirty in the morning. Harry presented her with a bottle of warmed milk, which she happily accepted. He lay down with her on his bed, sleepily watching her. There was something about her…

At breakfast, Harry was a bit more successful in feeding Sandra than he had been the previous evening. The house-elves knew by now what to make for the youngest person at Hogwarts – milk, oatmeal and a slice of cheese. The milk was in a cup with a lid so that she could drink by herself without spilling all over. 

"Harry, do you mind returning her to Professor Snape before class?" Hermione asked, looking distracted. "I forgot one of my books, so I'll have to go and get it. Can you?"

Harry frowned slightly and then shrugged. "Sure." 

He thought Hermione looked a bit too happy about the answer, but signed it off to the oddness that always seemed to surround him. 

"Dada," Sandra said, holding out a slice of cheese to Harry.

"No thanks, that's your breakfast, not mine," Harry said. 

"Gaa," Sandra agreed and put the cheese in her mouth. Harry chuckled at her. She looked proud that she'd managed to get him to laugh. 

"You know," Ron said to him, "For someone being related to Snape, she's really pretty cute."

Harry laughed.

~~~~~

Remus Lupin 

Albus floo-ed us that day in May and said that it was time. Siri and I hurried to Hogwarts. We had promised to be there when Severus gave birth, after all. Siri would stay outside, but Severus had asked me to be his emotional support in there. When he'd first enquired, I'd been surprised, but I quickly realized that he had no one else to ask. Albus was going to be there, but his fatherly figure wasn't what Severus needed. 

Albus opened a line between our fireplace and the Infirmary's, to allow us to get there quicker. 

When we arrived, the Hospital Wing seemed to be in an organized sort of chaos. Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were both in the room, on either side of Severus. Dumbledore was speaking to Poppy, who was running around the room to get everything ready. She was going to perform a C-section on Severus to get the baby out.

I walked over to the bed where Severus lay. His exterior seemed calm, but one look in his eyes and I knew that he was anything but. 

"Hello, Severus," I said. 

"Remus," he replied, before he gasped in pain as a contraction grabbed hold of his body.

Hermione and Draco looked worried. I knew that they had both found out about Severus' pregnancy, Draco two months before us and Hermione just a week or so after us. Just like Siri and I, they had been sworn to secrecy. That was the way Severus wanted it. 

I'd visited him three times since I found out that he was going to have a baby. We'd just been sitting together, sometimes talking and sometimes not. We realized that what had happened years and years ago was not something to hate each other for for the rest of our lives. 

He'd told me that he didn't want the Wizarding world to know about his pregnancy because he didn't want to be laughed at. Male pregnancy happened perhaps once every other century and they had never been accepted. He didn't want his child to grow up looked upon as a freak.

I had accepted his explanation and honoured his wish. I did wish, though, that he would tell Harry.

Poppy moved Severus to one of the smaller, private rooms. We didn't want some student with a bruise to come in and see what was happening, not when we'd managed to keep it secret for so long. She also sent Hermione and Draco out, although they were permitted to stay in the Hospital Wing. She understood that they wouldn't be able to concentrate in class as it was.

She made Severus get up and walk. 

"It will be another hour or so before I'm ready to perform the C-section," she said. "You weren't supposed to go into labour today!"

There was a shower stall where Severus could take a shower too. Apparently, warm water could relieve some of the pain. I was ordered to stay close while he showered, in case something unexpected happened. 

"I don't need a babysitter," Severus sneered at me, the pain making his mood even worse than usual.

"Not yet," I teased, unable to resist.

The contractions came closer and closer together and Poppy suddenly realized that this labour was going about much faster than a normal one. Unless she wanted the baby to break it's own neck trying to press out through a birthing canal that didn't exist, she would have to perform the C-section sooner than expected.

Severus lay on the bed, his face contorted in pain as another heavy contraction wracked his body. When it released its hold on him, he sank back into the pillow, his face sweaty and pale. I took a wet cloth from the table beside the bed and dabbed his forehead with it. 

Poppy got all her things together and was finally ready to start. I stood next to Severus. He grabbed hold of my hand as yet another contraction grabbed him and he screamed. Even when dealing with the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse, I couldn't remember hearing him scream like that.

Poppy gave him pain medication and then placed a big green sheet that covered all of his body except his head and his huge stomach. 

Then she began cutting. I couldn't watch. I smelled the blood all over, the werewolf in me making itself known, and I found myself wondering if I should really have agreed to this. But then Severus tightened his grip around my hand to the point where I thought my bones would break and I knew that it had been the right decision.

The C-section was over quickly and suddenly, we all heard the amazing sound of a newborn baby's cries.

"Congratulations," she said to Severus, "You have a girl."

~~~~~

To be continued…

~~~~~

If you enjoyed it, hated it, or thought something else about it, please hit the review button or email me at bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com


	6. Chapter six: Finite Incantatum

**Title:** Echoes

**Author:** Cosmic

**Email:** bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com

**Disclaimers:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Rating:** PG-13 for one swearword and a bit of snogging

**Pairing:** HP/SS

**Summary:** "The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors." Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in.

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Author's notes:** Thanks to all my readers, as always! There is a little smut in this story… You'll see… Nothing bad, promise. Hope you like and don't forget to review! :)

~~~~~

Echoes

~~~~~

Chapter six: Finite Incantatum

~~~~~

Bag slung over his shoulder and baby in his arms, Harry made his way down to the dungeons. He had twenty minutes before Defence Against the Dark Arts would start. 

Sandra gurgled happily in his arms and he smiled at her. It was odd – since he got her in his arms yesterday, he'd smiled more times than he had in the past year. 

Something missing… 

He didn't know what it was, but the feeling only grew stronger, especially as he watched Sandra. Smooth skin, big black eyes mixed with green and black hair. When he looked at her, he thought he could se similarities to himself, although he shook that off as ridiculous. She looked like her father – it was Snape's eyes and hair she had inherited, and her mother's skin and features, whoever she was. 

He knocked on the door and Snape opened it.

"Granger you're –" he stopped in mid-sentence. "Harry."

The Boy Who Lived wondered when the Potions Master had begun calling him 'Harry' rather than 'Potter'. 

"'Mione was a bit busy," he hurried up to explain, "So she asked me to bring Sandra to you. I – I hope that was all right."

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Dada!" Sandra squealed happily when she saw him and stretched out his arms towards him. Snape took his young daughter in his arms and hugged her closely. It had been a lonely night without her.

"Have you been good?" he asked her.

"Gaa," Sandra said and hugged him back. 

"Has she eaten?"

"She ate oatmeal, a bit of cheese and some milk for breakfast, sir," Harry replied. He couldn't help but add, "Although I think that most of the oatmeal ended up in my hair."

It sounded as though Snape snorted, but Harry didn't think that Snape could make such a sound, so he signed it off to imagination. "She has a tendency to be a little… messy," Snape said, clearly amused.

Silence fell. Harry felt Snape's gaze on him, but didn't meet it. The whole situation was strange, he thought. Strange, but… right?

Like Sev's hair… 

He wondered yet again where that thought had come from last night. 

The silence stretched out until Harry squirmed and said, "Well, I need to get to class. It was – If you need a babysitter for her again, I'd be… I'd be glad to do it."

He looked up at Snape, who watched him with an unreadable face. For a second, their gazes met and again, Harry felt the sense of being… complete. He was about to turn and run away from the scene when he heard Snape.

"Harry," he said slowly, sounding like it took him a lot of courage to say the name. "Please come inside."

~~~~~

Hermione Granger 

When I first saw Professor Snape with a baby on his chest, it looked very strange to me. I had had almost a month to get used to the thought, but it was still an odd sight. Professor Snape, whom I, together with most of Hogwarts' non-Slytherin population, had detested for most of my time at the school. He plays by favourites, he's nasty to just about everyone and he can be downright cruel to students like Neville. 

To have this – this git, as Ron would say, cradle a baby to his chest like it was the most precious thing on earth… It was weird.

Malfoy and I were allowed into the room when Madame Pomfrey had fixed Snape up and the baby had been cleaned. 

Now, I'm not going to say that she was the cutest thing on the planet, because she wasn't. Newborn babies are _not cute. They are wrinkly like a hundred-year-old and their skin is red and blotchy. Still, I had to admit that the child before me was a miracle. Professor Snape, our Potions Master, had carried a child through pregnancy, almost full term (Sandra was born two weeks early). _

Malfoy looked at the baby in complete awe. I wondered how many babies he'd had to deal with in his lifetime – probably about as few as I have. 

The Professor looked exhausted, his skin even more pale than normal and he had dark circles beneath his eyes. Still, he seemed happy; there was even a small smile on his lips as he watched the baby. He was feeding her milk from a bottle, with Remus helping to keep it in place. 

"What are you going to call her?" Malfoy asked, bending down to get a closer look at the little bundle.

"Sandra," Snape replied. "Sandra Mirari Snape." 

"Cool," Malfoy said and touched Sandra, his hands shaking as he first put a finger on her. "She's tiny."

"Yes," said Remus, "But she is perfectly healthy. Ten toes, ten fingers, two eyes…"

"A cute little nose that looks nothing like yours," Malfoy said and winked at Snape. The new father growled at him. Malfoy turned to me. "Granger, come look."

Surprised, I walked up to them. Malfoy was being nice to me? This baby certainly changed things.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Malfoy said. "I'm not going to be nice to you in public, I promise."

I rolled my eyes. Okay, things hadn't changed.

~~~~~

Severus closed the door behind Harry, closing his eyes briefly while Harry had his back to him. His heart was beating a hole in his chest and he wondered again what in the world he was doing.

He set Sandra down on the soft carpet and handed her a few stuffed animals to play with. She began playing, forgetting the grown-ups in the room.

"Was there something you needed to talk to me about, Professor?" Harry asked, confusion clearly written on his face. 

Severus found himself tongue-tied, something that didn't happen very often. He wondered where to start. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many things that should be explained – and there were so many reasons why Harry would never want to see him again after today. 

"Sir?"

Harry woke him from his line of thoughts again. 

"Harry," he began, deciding that he would have to take the chance of Harry hating him. If he didn't tell him, Granger surely would and that would be even worse. "There is something I need to tell you."

The Boy Who Lived looked worried and Severus found himself wondering whether it was because of the words he'd just uttered, or because of the tone he was using. He never called Harry by his first name; it was always 'Potter'. 

"This is about Sandra, isn't it?" Harry asked.

Severus looked at him, a slight frown appearing. He carefully kept his usual scowl off his face; he didn't want Harry to think that he was angry. It would have helped, he thought, if he'd been better looking, but he'd have to do with what he had.

"Sort of," he replied. "She is part of it."

"There is something between her and me," Harry said. "I don't know what it is, but she… She makes me feel… something." He looked puzzled about his own feelings. 

Severus knew that if the memory charms he'd put on Harry were breaking down then it was definitely time to tell him everything. He wondered what the best way to tell him would be, and wished that he were better at conversation.

"She's your daughter," he said finally.

_Too blunt! his mind screamed at him. _Too much, you should have started off with something else, you shouldn't have said it like that…__

He was aware that Harry was staring at him. Then his gaze moved to Sandra.

"She's my what?" he asked, eyes wide. Stammering, he continued, "But – no, it's not possible… You're a… and I've never…"

He blushed bright red and looked down at the carpeted floor. 

"Harry, please sit down," Severus asked him. Harry did and Severus took out his wand. 

"_Finite Incantatum_."

~~~~~

Harry Potter 

The war was raging and all around me, people were dying. So far, none of the dead were any of my friends, but it was just a matter of time. We all knew it. Several of my classmates had already received black owls from their parents, telling them that some family friend or relative had died.

It was a Saturday night in September. The Gryffindor common room was crammed with people, since we weren't allowed to be outside other than when we were walking to class. The rules were back to the ones we'd had in my second year – we were only allowed outside in company of a Headboy or girl, a Prefect, or a teacher. 

This evening, someone suddenly pulled out Butterbeer from out of nowhere. I still have no idea where they got it from, since the rules had been in place since the start of school and there would be no Hogsmeade weekends until Voldemort had been defeated. Still, as I knew better than most – it was possible to get to Hogsmeade without anyone noticing.

When they offered me a glass of the stuff, I gladly accepted it.

I was tired. I had been fighting against Voldemort since my first year at Hogwarts and the war had raged since the end of my fourth year. Now I was in my sixth.

I hoped the Butterbeer would take me away from reality; I didn't want to face it. I don't know how many glasses I downed that night, but it had to be a lot.

It was sometime around midnight when I got the wonderful idea to get my Invisibility Cloak and leave the Gryffindor tower. I hadn't been out for a night walk since school started and since I was, by then, very drunk, I thought it would be safe.

I managed to sneak up to my room and get the cloak without anyone noticing that I was gone. It helped that everyone else in the common room was just as drunk as I was.

I can't remember my walk through the castle at all. I must have been very lucky that night, since I didn't walk into any of the teachers, or the caretaker, Argus Filch. Normally, I would encounter at least one of them. Maybe the teachers were being more careful now too.

I know that I had a goal: Snape's quarters. 

I'd developed a crush on my Potions Professor during my fifth year. When I returned for my sixth year, my feelings had only grown stronger, but as long as I was sober, I never did anything to act on those feelings. I didn't dare. The thing about alcohol is that, at least for me, my worries go out the door and I no longer understand what it was I was so afraid of. That's what had happened now, and that is why I suddenly found myself by the door to Snape's room.

I knocked, not even thinking about the fact that Snape would most likely have me expelled from school for being out at night, rather than welcome me with open arms.

The door opened and a sleepy Snape stood there. He was only wearing boxers. Me, being drunk, only thought: Yum.

I snuck in, hid beneath my cloak and waited until Snape had closed the door behind him again. He walked back to the bed, his pale skin reflecting in the moonlight and he crawled underneath the sheets. I followed him over there, but waited to get into the bed until he was asleep again. Then I crawled underneath the sheets with him and kissed him.

He tasted of spices and perhaps of alcohol, although that could have been just me.

And he kissed me back.

Despite how drunk I was, I was suddenly scared that he would pull away suddenly, stare at me and call me a freak, so I kissed him harder. His arms circled around my waist, his hands starting to travel over my body. I moaned under his touch.

"Severus…" I breathed.

He froze. "Potter?" he asked, opening his eyes.

I lay perfectly still in his arms as he regarded me with those black pools. "Yes?" I squeaked.

"What are you doing in my bed?" 

I thought it was strange that he didn't sound angry.

"Um…" I mumbled. I wanted to get back to what we'd been doing up until then. His hands roaming my body… I could feel the result of those hands already… Since I was drunk, I came to the conclusion that the only way for us to get back into what I wanted to do was to kiss him again. So I did.

He pressed closer, his lean body fitting together with mine and a moan escaping his lips as I started exploring his mouth with my tongue.

"No, Potter, we shouldn't," he said, his voice thick with sudden arousal.

"Yes, we should," I said and plunged back in. 

I was in for the best night of my life, but when the morning came, I would no longer remember it.

~~~~~

To be continued…

~~~~~

If you enjoyed it, hated it, or thought something else about it, please hit the review button or email me at bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com


	7. Chapter seven: Correcting your mistakes

**Title:** Echoes

**Author:** Cosmic

**Email:** bananacosmicgirl@hotmail.com

**Disclaimers:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Rating:** PG-13 for one swearword and a bit of snogging

**Pairing:** HP/SS

**Summary:** "The cries of a young child echoed through the corridors." Snape has a daughter but few know the secret behind her existence. Harry is confused and Hermione decides to step in.

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Author's notes: **Sorry this is late. Not my fault, though – ff.net wouldn't let me upload on Thursday. The rest of the notes are at the end of the story… Enjoy. 

~~~~~

Echoes

~~~~~

Chapter seven: Correcting your mistakes

~~~~~

"You took my memory away?" Harry asked, staring at the Potions Master. "Why?"

"Harry, you were drunk," Severus said, remembering the smell of alcohol surrounding Harry that night. "You didn't know what you were doing."

Harry stared at him. "I've had a crush on you since fifth year," he said as the memories suddenly came back to him. Severus' spell had not only affected his memories of that night, but his feelings for Snape over all. "You wanted me to hate you," he choked as he recalled.

"I only wanted for things to be like they always were!" Snape exclaimed, standing up. "It was at the end of the war – I couldn't let you break down because of one stupid mistake, done when you were drunk! You were better off not remembering!"

Harry stood up as well and screamed back, "So you just decided to erase _all_ the positive feelings I had for you?!"

On the floor, Sandra began crying as she listened to the two upset grown-ups.

Severus stopped and sank back into the chair. "I'm sorry, Harry," he said softly.

"Well sorry doesn't cut it right now," Harry replied, his voice hard. 

He stormed out of the room.

~~~~~

Albus Dumbledore 

People seem to think that I know everything. I don't, I swear. I just take the time to sit down and watch others. You can learn a lot by just watching.

I watched as Harry's crush on Severus developed. I don't think even Harry himself knows where those feelings came from. Love tends to escape in crazy places sometimes.

I didn't know that they actually got together. I only put two and two together when Severus seemed in an even worse mood than normal, whilst Harry often seemed confused. I recognized all the signs of someone who has had his memory altered. 

Then Severus came down with what he thought was a bad bout of flu. Of course, the flu he suffered from only continued and continued, leaving the staff and me worried. I soon realized that Severus wasn't ill, though. He was pregnant. It was logical – only two very powerful wizards would be able to create a child together and Harry and Severus are both very strong. When I confronted Severus about it, he wasn't terribly surprised. The thought had already occurred to him.

His decision to keep Harry in the dark was not one that I completely agreed with. Harry would be a loving parent to the child, but apparently, Severus did not think so. His reasons behind not telling Harry were valid and so I played along.

Thankfully, there are people like Ms Hermione Granger, who saw how Harry acted in the last one and a half years, since the memory charm was cast. We – and by that I mean the whole Wizarding world's population – were all expecting him to be happy once Voldemort was defeated. The happiness didn't come though. The newspapers signed it off to him being shy in public; the school's students and staff signed it off to him being overwhelmed. Only his closest friends, like Ms Granger and Mr Weasley, worried about him. 

As it is, Ms Granger did not come to put the pieces together about Severus, Harry and the child they created until just recently. It is the best thing that could have happened, because I have a feeling that all that's gone wrong in the past two years will be corrected.

~~~~~

There was a soft knock on the door, but Harry ignored it, putting his pillow over his head. He lay on his bed and hoped that no one would come in. He didn't want to see anyone. They could never understand.

The door opened despite the lack of an invite. 

"Harry?" Hermione's voice sounded unsure and worried.

"Leave me alone, 'Mione," Harry told her. "I don't want company."

She ignored him and sat down on the side of the bed. "What did Professor Snape say?"

Harry, who'd been facing the wall thus far, whirled around and glared at Hermione. He was about to say something, but realized that she couldn't and wouldn't understand what his problem was and he closed his mouth again. "Nothing."

Hermione raised a knowing eyebrow at him, but then her expression softened. "Harry, I know what he told you."

His eyes widened. "You know what?" he asked, his voice heavy with disbelief.

"I know what he told you," Hermione repeated. "I know Sandra is your daughter as well as Snape's."

"How the hell did _you_ know?" Harry snapped angrily. "And for how long? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I knew because I watched you and Sandra together," Hermione bit back, knowing that the only way to get Harry to listen was to use that tone of voice. "You look so much alike it's amazing. For how long? I've known for three days and the reason I didn't tell you was that I thought Snape should be the one to tell you such an important thing."

"Was that why you let me take care so much of Sandra? To see if I was fit to be a father? Was that why you made me go give her back to Snape, rather than you?" The questions were yelled and they came quickly, accusingly.

"I wanted you to interact with your daughter for a bit. Perhaps if you'd become fond of her already, it would be easier for you to learn to love her like a daughter," Hermione shouted back. "I wanted to force Snape into telling you, so yes, that was why I made you go return her!"

When Hermione stopped, the room suddenly fell very silent. Harry's chest heaved in anger, his cheeks were red and he glared at Hermione. She only watched him, her expression softening.

"She's a miracle, Harry," she said softly. "I've read about male pregnancies. They only happen when the wizards are both very powerful – and when they love each other."

The silence was heavy between them.

"Why did he have to change my memory?" Harry asked unhappily, eyes cast down as though he was about to cry. "Why did he make me think that I still hated him? I haven't hated him since fifth year, 'Mione."

Hermione reached out and touched his cheek. "I know," she said, although she hadn't been aware of the fact. "He thought it was for the best. He thought that it was all just a mistake, that night. You were drunk and did something you'd regret later. He didn't want you to have to regret anything. He loves you, Harry."

A single tear trickled down Harry's cheek. "I'm really stupid, aren't I?" he asked. "Just running away from him like that."

"Actually, he's the one who's been stupid," Hermione said, reaching out her hand to touch Harry's cheek. "But it's not beyond repair. Go down to him. He'll be glad to see you."

Harry smiled resolutely. "Actually, that is exactly what I'm going to do," he said. He got up off the bed and walked over to the door. One hand on the doorknob, he turned back to his best friend. "Oh, 'Mione, do me a favour?"

"Sure," Hermione said.

"Don't tell Ron just yet."

They shared evil grins.

~~~~~

Severus Snape 

The idea that I was pregnant first occurred to me when I was about two months along. For several weeks, I'd been throwing up in the morning. My body felt strange, different somehow and my mood was – like I know everyone else noticed – even worse than usual. 

I knew what it was likely to mean. I am a very powerful wizard – and Harry Potter is certainly a strong one as well. 

Strangely, the thought didn't alarm me as much as I think it should have. Instead, it was comforting to know that even though I would never have Harry himself again, I still had something that he'd been part of creating. Sandra was a miracle – her second name, Mirari, means just that. _Miracle. _

Through the almost full nine months that I carried her, she was a comfort to me. I have never been one to share my thoughts with anyone. The baby inside of me was different, though. I sat at night, especially at the end of my term, and talked to her. When she was born, I loved her immediately. Even my love for Harry cannot compete with the feeling I have inside every time I see her. She's my sunshine and I wonder every day what I did without her.

I know, I sound like the sap I swore I would never become. I just can't help it.

My love for Harry developed completely different. It came creeping over me, an inch at the time. First the slight pride inside at the end of his fourth year when he, yet again, managed to get away from Voldemort alive. I swear, he has more lives than any cat I have ever known.

During the fifth year, the war began for real. I saw him fighting every day, to keep up with schoolwork, friends and the hero-image that he had to live up to. I gave him many detentions and during one of them, we actually began talking. A civil conversation. After that, my admiration of the teen grew, although I could never allow myself to feel anything more than just the platonic adoration. 

Not until _that_ night.

The night when Harry came to me, crawled into my bed and began with the make-out session of my life. 

The night when Sandra was created.

In the morning, I woke up early. Harry was still in a deep sleep, his arms wrapped around me as though he didn't want to let me go. I realized that Harry had been drunk when he came down to my quarters and if he woke up in the same bed as me, I thought he would be disgusted with himself and hate me. I didn't want that for him and so I cast the memory charms on him and took him up to the Gryffindor tower. A first-year was leaving through the portrait just when we came, so we slipped through before it closed. I placed Harry on the couch in the empty common room. He was still sleeping and would continue to do so for another hour, at least. 

I placed a last kiss on his famous forehead before I left. 

Now Harry stands before me and all I can say to myself is, what an idiot I have been!

~~~~~

Severus looked frightened. It amused Harry, for he had never seen the Potions Master scared of anything before. His face would always be set in the same deep scowl. But now, his eyes darted from Sandra, who was playing on the floor, to Harry who stood before him.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" he dared to ask Harry.

"Yes," Harry replied simply. "I had a talk with Hermione."

Severus groaned inwardly and couldn't help the comment, "Why am I not surprised?"

"It seems she knew about – this –" he motioned at Sandra "– and she forced you to tell me." He paused and met Severus look. "Is that the truth?"

"She told me that I should tell you," Severus sighed. He was suddenly so very tired. "She said that she would tell you otherwise."

"So you wouldn't have told me this at all if it hadn't been for 'Mione?" Harry asked. 

"I didn't want you to be… ashamed, Harry."

Harry cocked his head to the side. "You said you'd read up on male pregnancies," he said. "'Mione did too. Wouldn't you have found the same thing?"

Severus looked at him and tried to understand. 

"She found," Harry began, "That for a male pregnancy to happen, it takes two very powerful wizards – which we are. But, there's another thing that's needed." He paused. "The two wizards need to love each other."

Severus couldn't help the gasp at the words, his eyes widening. 

"Didn't you hear me when I said that I've had a crush on you since fifth year?" Harry asked, shaking his head. "It wasn't just a crush, or at least it developed into something more. I fell _in love with you." He emphasized the last words as much as he could._

"I've been an idiot, haven't I?" Severus said, sighing. 

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed. "A total, complete idiot! And you know what?"

"What?" Severus asked, afraid of what Harry was going to say next. 

"I still love you!"

Deciding to throw his shy image away for a moment, Harry stalked over to Severus and captured his mouth in a searing kiss. It felt even better than it had a year and a half ago. Their tongues played, fighting for dominance and exploring as much as they could, whilst their hands and arms circled each other and pulled closer.

When they broke apart, they were both panting. 

"Now you only need to tell me one thing," Harry said.

"That I love you?" Severus asked.

"No," Harry said. He smiled coyly. "How soon we can get a baby-sitter."

This time, the sound echoing down the corridors was the sound of Sandra Mirari Snape as she clapped her hands and giggled at her parents. 

~~~~~ 

End

~~~~~

This fanfic was inspired by a challenge. It is not exactly a response to that challenge, because I changed how I wanted it to be written (using both first-person and third-person narrative, and changing between present and past), as well as some of the story. I liked the idea, though, and it is what made me write the fic. Here is the challenge:

**Challenge # 17 on Blooddance.com: **

Severus has a young child... Potter finds out by accident that Sev actually carried the baby and what's more, that Potter is the 'other father' involved in the baby's creation. Basically He fucked - then fucked off X-number of years before! The Mpreg story is to be told through the remembrances of the other characters around the fic (Like Minerva, Albus, Ron, Mione etc) Everyone has their own sharp memory of Severus being pregnant. Some good, some bad, some down right awful! All the while Potter is also trying to get close to Sev and the child. It's up to you how Sev feels about that! If you go down the Potter is the other father line - explain how Black and Lupin feel about things and why they either never knew Sev had had Potter's child, or why they kept this news to themselves.

**Final author's notes:** Well, my betas thought I could end the story here. Hopefully you agree. You get to imagine Ron's response and everyone else's surprise yourselves, because I have no continuation for the story.

Please tell me what has been good and bad about this story. Constructive criticism is always very welcome. :) Any other comments are also very welcome.

I'm glad I've opened some people's eyes to the world of Mpreg. It's a big huge wonderful world out there! :) Lol. I am actually writing another one, but that one is HP/DM pairing instead (just like TooP). If anyone is interested in betaing, feel free to email me. Just put "Betaing HP/DM fanfic" in the subject area, or I may delete it, thinking it to be spam. The email is in my profile.

Um… anything else? Well, yes – a big huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed! This was my first HP/SS and my first Mpreg, so I didn't know how people would like it. Although some have been a bit iffy towards the subject of Mpreg, and others to the pairing, most of the responses have been positive. So a huge thank you to my readers! Love ya… :)

Cam 


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